Nostr notes by Plague Poems

I have heard in honor of international workers’ day you should ...

2026-05-01T18:48:02Z

I have heard
in honor of
international workers’ day
you should
attend a rally.

I have heard
in honor of
international workers’ day
you should
not work or shop.

And
I have heard
in honor of
international workers’ day
you should wear a mask
as Covid
remains a labor issue.

When you hear it said that the approaching “mega El Niño” ...

2026-04-21T23:32:03Z

When you hear it said
that the approaching
“mega El Niño”
may well be similar
to the devastating El Niño
of 1877,
you should know
that we are ready,
yes, at this point, you should know
that we are very ready,
yes, we are ready to ignore
mass death and suffering.

Listen: if you keep trying, one of these weeks you’ll find the ...

2026-04-17T23:11:08Z

Listen:
if you keep trying,
one of these weeks
you’ll find the right words,
you’ll find the right deeds,
to convince people
that they need
to take care of each other.
It might even be next week,
if you keep trying,
so keep trying,
please, my friend, keep trying.

People keep telling me that they were willing to take precautions ...

2026-04-13T23:55:35Z

People keep telling me
that they were willing
to take precautions
during the pandemic,
and so I keep replying
that is also why
I am still willing
to take precautions now.

It would seem that I am losing patience, for when the man in ...

2026-04-13T21:31:30Z

It would seem
that I am losing patience,
for when the man in front of me
asked why I was masked
I promptly replied:
“so I can outlive my enemies,”
and based on the expression
the man made in response
it would seem
that was one of my better
responses to that question.

My friend who studies computers says that this is a week that ...

2026-04-09T23:03:40Z

My friend
who studies computers
says that this
is a week
that will go down in history.

My friend
who studies politics
says that this
is a week
that will go down in history.

My friend
who studies history
says that this
is a week
that shows
we’re all going down.

I have read a statement that “a whole civilization will die ...

2026-04-07T17:14:35Z

I have read a statement
that “a whole civilization
will die tonight,
never to be brought back again,”
and as I read that statement
and as I reread that statement
I cannot shake the feeling
that the civilization
from which that statement comes
is one that is already dead.

My friend who studies viruses says we are in an epidemiological ...

2026-04-02T17:01:37Z

My friend
who studies viruses
says we are in
an epidemiological crisis.

My friend
who studies computers
says we are in
an epistemological crisis.

So I asked
my friend
who studies history
which it is
and after a moment
she said: yes.

With a sigh, my friend said that this is a bad time for people ...

2026-03-24T23:00:11Z

With a sigh, my friend said
that this is a bad time
for people who care
about education,
and the planet,
about public health
and democracy,
about humanity
and the humanities,
so I asked her
when was it a good time?
and she replied: fair,
but this is a particularly bad time.

Six years ago at this pandemic’s start I hoped that it would ...

2026-03-18T17:27:32Z

Six years ago
at this pandemic’s start
I hoped
that it would teach us
to take care of each other
to keep things from getting worse.

Six years later
as this pandemic continues
I worry
that it has mainly taught us
to stare at our screens
as things keeps getting worse.

A response to the stranger who told me that they look forward to ...

2026-03-17T20:12:23Z

A response
to the stranger
who told me that they
look forward to the day
when I stop writing these:
please know
that there is nobody
who looks forward to the day
when I can stop writing these
more than me.

The first plague poem was posted (on Twitter) on 3/16/2020. Since ...

2026-03-16T19:28:37Z

The first plague poem was posted (on Twitter) on 3/16/2020.

Since then, 20 have been posted each week. And today marks the start of this project’s 7th year.

I am very tired, but I shall go on. Thank you for your support.

Stay safe. Take care of each other.

librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/plague-poems/

When you see the news about all the energies being devoted to ...

2026-03-12T22:59:20Z

When you see the news
about all the energies
being devoted
to turning the world
into a wasteland,
it is vital to remember
that applied differently
those same energies
could turn the world
into a garden.

At the start of the pandemic’s first year I hoped it would not ...

2026-03-12T19:10:33Z

At the start
of the pandemic’s
first year
I hoped
it would not last
too long.

At the start
of the pandemic’s
third year
I hoped
it would not last
much longer.

Here at the start
of the pandemic’s
seventh year
I just hope
that I can last.

It was on this day six years ago that the WHO officially declared ...

2026-03-11T19:04:24Z

It was on this day
six years ago
that the WHO
officially declared
COVID-19
a global pandemic.

So it is on this day
six years later
that all of us
officially enter
the seventh year
of this pandemic.

When they tell you that if you do not take off your mask, that if ...

2026-03-10T21:16:52Z

When they tell you
that if you do not
take off your mask,
that if you do not
start using AI,
that if you do not
get with the times,
that you will be
left behind,
remember:
it is perfectly acceptable
to respond by telling them
that you do not want
to go where they’re going.

According to new research from the Yale School of Public Health ...

2026-03-05T22:08:25Z

According to new research
from the Yale School
of Public Health
“If measles vaccination rates
continue to drop
just 1% annually
for the next five years,
the cost to the U.S.
could reach $1.5 billion a year,“
though for many people
such a drop
will cost them everything.

After I noted how a century ago there was a pandemic followed by ...

2026-03-05T00:17:50Z

After I noted
how a century ago
there was a pandemic
followed by fascism
and a world war,
the historian called me
and explained
that a century ago
there was a pandemic
followed by fascism
and a world war
and also by
nuclear explosions,
so let us hope
history stops repeating.

Quoting something he saw online my work friend noted: that being ...

2026-03-04T22:37:13Z

Quoting something
he saw online
my work friend noted:
that being anti-AI
is like being
one of the only
people actually trying
not to get bitten
in a zombie movie,
and as I adjusted
the straps on my mask
and looked at his
unmasked face, I said:
I know how that feels.

By now you have likely seen it reported that “Meta plans launch ...

2026-02-24T22:05:37Z

By now
you have likely seen it reported
that “Meta plans
launch of facial recognition
to smart glasses
in ‘dynamic political environment’,”
so even though you already have
more than enough reasons
to keep wearing a mask
now you have yet another one.

When I paid attention to the flags I realized there are 93 ...

2026-02-11T00:08:00Z

When I paid attention
to the flags
I realized
there are 93 countries
competing in the Olympics.

Then I paid attention
to the masked athletes
and I realized
there are only 2 teams
competing in the Olympics.

And so I am cheering
for team
don’t catch or spread Covid.

When they ask you (and they will ask you) how you can be so ...

2026-01-30T00:25:54Z

When they ask you
(and they will ask you)
how you can be
so concerned about Covid
given all of the terrible things
that are currently happening,
kindly but firmly tell them
that Covid
is one of those terrible things
that is currently happening.

By now you have probably seen the reports that the chair of the ...

2026-01-23T22:29:28Z

By now
you have probably seen the reports
that the chair of the panel
that recommends vaccines
has suggested “that shots
against polio and measles —
and perhaps all diseases —
should be optional,”
which is a reminder
that this era of plagues
is only getting worse.

If you ask them today your friends will tell you about the ...

2025-12-26T17:14:32Z

If you ask them today
your friends will tell you
about the various gifts
they were given on Christmas,
and if you ask them again
in a couple of days
(once the symptoms
have started to show)
your friends will tell you
about the “something” else
they were given on Christmas.

The start of Covid’s 7th year is the perfect time to revisit ...

2025-12-19T21:02:52Z

The start of Covid’s 7th year
is the perfect time to revisit
the pandemic hobbies
you have abandoned:
you can get back to baking
and puzzles,
you can get back to reading
and calling your friends;
and you can even get back
into doing what you can
to protect other people.

*

The 301st week…
https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2025/12/19/plague-poems-the-three-hundred-and-first-week/

If they respond (and they will respond) to the mask you wear and ...

2025-12-08T18:47:48Z

If they respond
(and they will respond)
to the mask you wear
and the precautions you take
by telling you
that at this point
nobody cares
about the pandemic anymore,
remember: the fact
that they feel so compelled
to tell you this
is because your actions
are proving them wrong.

When I look for them I can see the signs that the next wave in ...

2025-11-22T00:07:39Z

When I look for them
I can see the signs
that the next wave
in this unending pandemic
is already approaching,
and though I try
to tell myself
I’ll get through this one too
when I look for them
I can no longer see
so many of the people
who helped me get through
the previous waves

I passed my neighbor as she was tending her yard and when I asked ...

2025-10-25T00:30:56Z

I passed my neighbor
as she was tending her yard
and when I asked
if she had any advice
she said:
“you are responsible
for tending your garden
in every season,”
and when I asked
if she had any other advice
she said:
“and don’t forget
that this whole world
is your garden.”

He tells me he’s stopped paying attention to the news about the ...

2025-10-24T22:04:44Z

He tells me he’s stopped
paying attention to the news
about the virus,
there’s so much information,
so many worrying details,
and when he reads it all
he feels there’s nothing
there’s nothing he can really do,
so I handed him a mask
and said:
here’s something you can do.

As I sit at my desk I think of the headline “Scientists have ...

2025-10-21T19:51:33Z

As I sit at my desk
I think of the headline
“Scientists have been studying
remote work for 4 years
and have reached
a very clear conclusion:
“Working from home
makes us thrive””
yes, as I sit here,
listening to my coworkers
coughing and sniffling
I keep thinking of that headline.

As he came up next to me in the hardware store the burly man took ...

2025-10-10T17:17:47Z

As he came up next to me
in the hardware store
the burly man
took one look at my mask
and asked:
“dealing with concrete dust?”
and though I was not,
I simply said, “yeah,”
so the next time you are asked
why you are masking
just tell them that you
are dealing with concrete dust.

My colleague who has committed herself to not getting sick has ...

2025-10-08T17:43:34Z

My colleague
who has committed herself
to not getting sick
has noticed I am rarely ill
and so she asked me
what my secret is,
and as I adjusted my mask
I told her
that I have no secret,
and after staring at me
she narrowed her eyes
and said:
I bet you meditate, is that it?

How fortunate it is that we can laugh at those who believe that ...

2025-09-22T23:05:16Z

How fortunate it is
that we can laugh
at those who believe
that the world
will end tomorrow,
for it spares us
from having to admit
that the world
as we know it
ended long before today.

When the doors opened the man inside the elevator looked at me ...

2025-09-16T17:14:00Z

When the doors opened
the man inside the elevator
looked at me
and began to ask why
I was wearing a mask,
but before he could finish
the woman next to him
began coughing,
so he stepped out
and stood silently next to me
as we waited together
for the next elevator.

I have been told if you have nothing nice to say it is better for ...

2025-09-11T23:02:09Z

I have been told
if you
have nothing nice to say
it is better
for you to say nothing at all,
and so all I shall say
is that in these dark times
we must take care
of each other.

(though I recognize
that those
making these times dark
will not think this
is a nice thing to say).

A recent study found that humans inhale as many as 68,000 ...

2025-09-09T19:10:12Z

A recent study found
that humans
inhale as many as
68,000
microplastic particles daily,
so if you are tired of explaining
that you are wearing a mask
so you won’t breathe in the virus,
instead you can say
that you’re wearing a mask
so you won’t breathe in microplastics.

According to the CDC at the moment Covid infections are growing ...

2025-09-08T19:24:54Z

According to the CDC
at the moment
Covid infections are growing
or are likely growing
in thirty states,
but if you are wondering
which state
is the most dangerous one
to currently be living in
just know, that state is: denial.

My colleague insists this semester she won’t get sick, so at ...

2025-09-03T22:01:18Z

My colleague insists
this semester
she won’t get sick,
so at her desk she has tea
and hand sanitizer,
she has tissues
and vitamins,
she has cold medicine
and even a thermometer,
so I asked
if she wanted some masks
and she said no
she doesn’t want
people to think she’s weird.

For years now I’ve heard people say that we need not worry ...

2025-08-25T22:20:30Z

For years now
I’ve heard people say
that we need not worry
about this virus
because “we have the tools,”
but today I saw a headline
which read: “Trump and RFK Jr.
to ban Covid-19 vaccine
‘within months,’”
so I suppose that soon
we will find ourselves saying
“we had the tools.”

After I said I worry about the world she told me that what I need ...

2025-08-14T23:16:10Z

After I said
I worry
about the world
she told me
that what I need to do
is eat three good meals a day,
exercise,
and go outside more.

So now here I sit
fortunate to have
a full stomach
and sore muscles
and the sun on my face
and yet still
I worry
about the world.

If you are wondering what it means that this Covid wave is still ...

2025-08-14T17:15:53Z

If you are wondering
what it means
that this Covid wave
is still rising
at this moment in which
students
are preparing to go back
to their classrooms,
just know that it means
that students
aren’t the only thing
that is preparing to go back
to school.

My friend, the historian, says she is worried. My friend, the ...

2025-08-11T17:13:22Z

My friend,
the historian, says
she is worried.

My friend,
the epidemiologist, says
they are worried.

My friend,
the climatologist, says
he is worried.

My friend,
the activist, says
she is worried.

My friends,
I must tell say,
what worries me
are the people
who aren’t worried.

By this point you’ve probably seen The Guardian headline: ...

2025-08-08T19:10:44Z

By this point
you’ve probably seen
The Guardian headline:
“What do we know
about the COVID-19 virus
five years on?”
but as you may be too busy
to read the article,
allow me to summarize it:
what we know
about this virus five years on
is you should try
not to catch or spread it.

Someone asked “for those who have lived through both 9/11 era ...

2025-08-07T22:04:55Z

Someone asked
“for those who have lived
through both
9/11 era and Covid
which do you think
had the more poignant change
on American culture,”
so I asked my friend, the historian,
and she replied
that it’s too early to say
for none of us
has lived through Covid yet.

Commenting on a study about Covid’s impact on children a ...

2025-08-06T17:31:13Z

Commenting on a study
about Covid’s impact
on children
a professor noted:
“this is an illness
that children,
families,
pediatricians
and the health care
and educational system
will be dealing with
for a generation,”
which sadly means
that all of us
will be dealing with it.

As we talked about the future my friend, the epidemiologist, said ...

2025-07-29T16:34:22Z

As we talked
about the future
my friend, the epidemiologist,
said that at the rate we’re going
the masked
shall inherit the earth,
and in response
my friend, the climatologist,
said that at the rate we’re going
there won’t be much earth
left for them to inherit.

To prepare for what’s coming I’ve heard that we should learn ...

2025-07-25T23:04:07Z

To prepare
for what’s coming
I’ve heard that we
should learn first aid,
and I’ve heard that we
should learn self defense,
and I’ve heard that we
should learn to farm,
but to prepare
for what’s coming
I’ve heard that we
must learn
to take care of each other.

I asked my aunt, the doctor, if she could explain to me a study ...

2025-07-17T19:20:57Z

I asked my aunt, the doctor,
if she could explain to me
a study that found:
“SARS-CoV-2 induces
Alzheimer’s disease–related
amyloid-β pathology in ex vivo
human retinal explants
and retinal organoids,”
and by way of explanation
my aunt, the doctor, said:
oh fuck.

The climatologists say if you look the signs of change are ...

2025-07-14T16:34:45Z

The climatologists say
if you look
the signs of change
are everywhere.

The epidemiologists say
if you look
the signs of the pandemic
are everywhere.

The political scientists say
if you look
the signs of breakdown
are everywhere.

But people say
they’d rather not look.

My friend who fears for this world says wear a mask it’s a sign ...

2025-07-11T17:01:35Z

My friend who fears
for this world
says wear a mask
it’s a sign
of resistance.

And
my friend who believes
in a better world
says wear a mask
it’s a sign
of solidarity.

But
my friend who studies
data about the world
says wear a mask
it’s a sign
you know cases are rising.

I saw an article which warned “Doomscrolling can put you at a ...

2025-07-09T19:04:32Z

I saw an article which warned
“Doomscrolling can put you
at a 56% increased risk
of heart attack,”
and while it’s no surprise
that doomscrolling before bed
carries risks,
the bigger problem
isn’t the doomscrolling
but that these days
there is so much doom
to scroll through.

Will we get through this? No, we will not get through this. Only ...

2025-07-03T23:06:43Z

Will we
get through this?
No, we
will not get through this.
Only some of us
will get through this.
And it is imperative
that you
understand this difference.

As you read through the various explanations of what exactly this ...

2025-07-01T19:45:02Z

As you read
through the various explanations
of what exactly
this or that cut means
it is worth remembering
that “will lose coverage”
is just an evasive way
of saying “will suffer and die.”

A friend told me it’s not normal to see a heatwave like this. ...

2025-06-26T23:05:30Z

A friend told me
it’s not normal
to see
a heatwave like this.

And a friend told me
it’s not normal
to see
summer illness like this.

And a friend told me
it’s not normal
to see
a political climate like this.

My friends
it’s not normal
oh my friends
none of this is normal.

An epidemiologists told me we’re cooked because of Covid but ...

2025-06-20T16:45:58Z

An epidemiologists told me
we’re cooked
because of Covid
but they meant it figuratively.

And an educator told me
we’re cooked
because of AI
but they meant it figuratively.

But a climatologist told me
we’re cooked
because of climate change
and they meant it
they really meant it.

My friend, the doctor, says right now everyone is getting sick. ...

2025-06-16T17:03:58Z

My friend, the doctor,
says right now
everyone is getting sick.

My friend, the teacher,
says right now
everyone is using AI.

My friend, the activist,
says right now
everyone is giving up.

My friends, oh my friends,
right now
we must not be everyone.

I asked the old punk how we will get through this, and he ...

2025-06-09T23:33:08Z

I asked the old punk
how we will get through this,
and he replied:
we will get through this
by taking care of each other.

So I told the old punk
that isn’t very specific,
and he replied:
taking care of each other
isn’t about doing something specific,
it’s about doing something.

A scientist told me the real story is the unfolding of climate ...

2025-06-09T17:30:45Z

A scientist told me
the real story
is the unfolding of climate change.

And a doctor told me
the real story
is the ongoing pandemic.

And an activist told me
the real story
is the rise of fascism.

And a historian told me
the real story
is that these are all the same story.

By now you have likely heard the contract to develop a vaccine ...

2025-06-02T22:17:11Z

By now
you have likely heard
the contract
to develop a vaccine
“against potential pandemic
influenza viruses,
including the H5N1 bird flu
has been cancelled,”
and while it is true
that this contract cost a lot
by now you should know
that a pandemic
costs many people everything.

I heard the commissioner of the FDA testify: “By the way, ...

2025-05-29T21:04:44Z

I heard the commissioner
of the FDA testify:
“By the way, America
doesn’t want
Covid boosters,”
and I fear this is why
in the coming weeks
so many Americans
will experience
the unwanted symptom
of razor blade throat.

My tired friend please understand when they see you they are not ...

2025-05-20T23:14:35Z

My tired friend
please understand
when they see you
they are not angry
because you are masking,
because you are testing,
because you are cautious,
no, my tired friend
please understand
when they see you
they are angry
because the sight of you
reminds them
the pandemic isn’t over.

A new study has found that “Infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles ...

2025-05-15T17:54:57Z

A new study has found
that “Infectious SARS-CoV-2
particles detected
in semen
for up to 8 months
after infections,”
and while I do not mean
to be crass or crude
these findings seem
like really bad fucking news.

I asked my aunt, the doctor, to help me understand a study that ...

2025-05-14T19:11:20Z

I asked my aunt, the doctor,
to help me understand
a study that found
“Transfer of SARS-CoV-2
nucleocapsid protein
to uninfected epithelial cells
induces antibody-mediated
complement disposition,”
and my aunt, the doctor,
replied: “it means
don’t catch this virus.”

I sent the old punk a video clip of one of the men behind the ...

2025-05-09T22:04:38Z

I sent the old punk
a video clip of one
of the men behind the curtain
saying: “it’s your patriotic duty
to be as healthy as you can,”
and the old punk replied:
“they want each of us to focus
on taking care of ourselves,
because they’re terrified
of us taking care of each other.”

My aunt, the doctor, told me a new joke. She asked: What happens ...

2025-05-07T22:13:56Z

My aunt, the doctor,
told me a new joke.
She asked:

What happens
when your country shuts down
the Centers for Disease Control’s
infection control committee?

I said I did not know,
so she added.

Your country becomes
the center for diseases.

And then neither of us laughed.

When they talk about the coming recession the officials keep ...

2025-05-06T17:59:19Z

When they talk
about the coming recession
the officials keep saying
that Americans are willing
to make sacrifices,
but if this ongoing pandemic
has taught us anything
it is that the sorts of sacrifices
Americans are willing to make
are the lives of other people.

They will tell you that this virus is a dangerous bioweapon that ...

2025-04-22T20:01:08Z

They will tell you
that this virus
is a dangerous bioweapon
that escaped
from a laboratory,
but if they see you
taking any steps
to protect yourself
from this virus
they will tell you
that this virus
is really just a cold.

My friend from this distance I cannot give you a shoulder against ...

2025-04-19T00:30:05Z

My friend
from this distance
I cannot give you
a shoulder
against which to lean

And my friend
from this distance
I cannot give you
a hand
to clasp for warmth

Alas, my friend
from this distance
all I can give you
are words
saying you are not alone

So, know:
you are not alone.

My brother-in-law sent me a link to a White House website ...

2025-04-18T22:21:44Z

My brother-in-law
sent me a link
to a White House website
claiming that Covid
leaked from a laboratory,
so I asked him
what he intended to do
to protect himself
and his loved ones
from this virus that apparently
leaked from a laboratory,
and in response
he changed the subject.

The old activist tells me it would have been wise had more of ...

2025-04-17T23:36:06Z

The old activist tells me
it would have been wise
had more of used the pandemic
to organize groups
for taking care of each other,
and when I ask her
what then we should do now,
she replies:
it would be wise for more of us
to organize groups
for taking care of each other.

I know, my friend, that with everything going on you feel ill, ...

2025-04-11T22:00:22Z

I know, my friend,
that with everything going on
you feel ill,
that with everything going on
you feel nauseous,
so take care, my friend,
oh do take care, my friend,
this world
will make you feel sick,
and if you are not careful
this virus
will make you sick.

By this point in this ongoing pandemic you should know better ...

2025-04-09T21:37:29Z

By this point
in this ongoing pandemic
you should know better
than to mistake
a momentary reprieve
for the end of the crisis.

My friend, who knows about economics, warns that those in charge ...

2025-04-09T19:35:36Z

My friend,
who knows about economics,
warns that those in charge
have no idea
what they are doing.

My friend,
who knows about history,
warns that those in charge
know exactly
what they are doing.

Oh, my friends,
I am not sure
which of these assessments
is more frightening.

My friend, the cautious academic, who lives in another country, ...

2025-03-28T22:20:16Z

My friend,
the cautious academic,
who lives in another country,
tells me she is canceling
her conference plans
for traveling
has become too dangerous,
and so I asked her
if she was worried
about border issues
or about getting sick,
and after a quiet moment
she responded: yes.

I know, my friend, that after surviving five years of this ...

2025-03-26T23:00:54Z

I know, my friend,
that after surviving
five years
of this pandemic
you are tired
you are very tired,
but amidst the cuts
to research funding,
now more than ever
you must remember
that even after surviving
five years
of this pandemic
you still have not
survived this pandemic.

Five years ago as the pandemic began you were commended for ...

2025-03-20T17:08:56Z

Five years ago
as the pandemic began
you were commended
for acknowledging
we were in it together

And now
as the pandemic continues
we remain in it together
though you are condemned
for acknowledging that.

The first plague poem was posted on 3/16/20 (on Twitter). The ...

2025-03-16T18:03:41Z

The first plague poem was posted on 3/16/20 (on Twitter).

The goal was to document the pandemic, and as the pandemic continues so too does the work of documenting it.

Thank you all for your support.

Weekly compendiums:
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/plague-poems/

Stay safe. Take care of each other.

My friend, the gardener, tells me that now is a time for ...

2025-03-08T00:24:33Z

My friend, the gardener,
tells me that now
is a time for planting,
a time for sowing seeds
in the hopes that someday
beautiful nourishing things
will grow again
and when I reply
that I don’t have a yard,
the gardener,
calmly explains that she
wasn’t talking about plants.

Apparently, the NIH has begun terminating numerous research ...

2025-03-06T22:52:39Z

Apparently, the NIH
has begun terminating
numerous research grants
that no longer fit
with “agency priorities,”
so in this moment
when protecting our health
is no longer deemed
a national or agency priority,
we must do what we can
to prioritize
protecting each other’s health.

If this pandemic, if this ongoing pandemic, has taught us ...

2025-03-03T18:14:41Z

If this pandemic,
if this ongoing pandemic,
has taught us anything
it is that the stable world
which many of us believed,
which many of us truly believed,
that we lived in
does not really exist.

When you hear it said (and you will hear it said) that wearing a ...

2025-02-28T23:25:55Z

When you hear it said
(and you will hear it said)
that wearing a mask
at this point
is making a political statement
do not bother arguing,
but instead recognize
that doing what you can
to protect other people
has always been
a political statement.

When asked how a H5N1 pandemic would differ from the Covid ...

2025-02-26T22:43:44Z

When asked how
a H5N1 pandemic
would differ
from the Covid pandemic
the expert replied
“There would be
many, many, many, many
more severe infections and deaths,”
and I wish I could say
(oh how I wish I could say)
I had added even one
of those many manys
to his answer.

A message to future historians who will ask why we did nothing ...

2025-02-18T23:10:40Z

A message
to future historians
who will ask
why we did nothing
while the alarm was sounding:
get your facts straight,
it is not the case
that we did nothing
while the alarm was sounding,
we did something,
the something we did:
is that we got up
and removed the alarm’s batteries.

After years of pretending that the current pandemic isn’t still ...

2025-02-17T18:14:37Z

After years
of pretending
that the current pandemic
isn’t still happening
we are well prepared
we are very well prepared
to pretend
that the next pandemic
isn’t about to happen.

My coworker insists that my mask is unnecessary the problem right ...

2025-02-12T18:17:03Z

My coworker insists
that my mask is unnecessary
the problem right now
(or so he explains)
isn’t Covid, but influenza,
and so I tell him
that my mask protects
against influenza too,
and I can tell right away,
that he
does not like this response.

New federal data suggests that as of 2023 more than a million ...

2025-02-07T20:19:39Z

New federal data suggests
that as of 2023
more than a million children
have been affected
by Long COVID,
but before you ask
if anything is being done
you should know
that something is being done:
the federal health agencies
are being ordered
to stop sharing their data.

As we waited for the meeting to start my supervisor turned to me ...

2025-02-06T20:09:57Z

As we waited
for the meeting to start
my supervisor turned to me
and quietly asked:
“would it kill you
to take your mask off?”
and while I should have acted
as though I did not hear him,
instead I simply replied:
“The virus might.”

Someday if you are very fortunate you will look back and say that ...

2025-02-05T00:10:23Z

Someday
if you are very fortunate
you will look back
and say that you
lived through this,
but to reach that day
remember:
first you must
live through this.

My friend who works for a health agency calls to tell me that he ...

2025-01-31T22:51:36Z

My friend who works
for a health agency
calls to tell me
that he expects
to be fired soon,
and when I ask him
if he’s going to be okay
he goes very quiet
and then calmly states
“I don’t think any of us
are going to be okay.”

An official in Massachusetts has warned that bird flu is ...

2025-01-31T20:07:46Z

An official in Massachusetts
has warned that bird flu
is “widespread”
in that state,
and while you may think
you need not worry
as you are elsewhere,
consider: at this point
the question is not
if bird flu is “widespread”
where you are
but if the officials there
will admit it is.

If you are wondering how so many people can just ignore the ...

2025-01-31T01:14:50Z

If you are wondering
how so many people
can just ignore
the suffering of others,
remember: at this point
in the pandemic
they have had plenty
of practice.

While I will admit that I find it heartening to see so many ...

2025-01-29T22:27:29Z

While I will admit
that I find it heartening
to see so many people
expressing outrage
at a nominee
minimizing the dangers
posed by Covid,
I would find it more heartening
if those same people
were still willing to act
to protect themselves
from the serious dangers
posed by Covid.

When I study history I wonder how it was that so many people ...

2025-01-24T00:13:19Z

When I study history
I wonder how it was
that so many people
could just go about their days
as the world they knew ended,
but this afternoon
I responded to banal emails,
engaged in small talk,
and sat in pointless meetings,
so as I just went about my day
I thought to myself: oh.

Your friends are right when they tell you that laws and ...

2025-01-22T00:17:58Z

Your friends are right
when they tell you
that laws
and institutions
and politicians
and media outlets
are not going to save us,
but your friends are wrong
when they tell you
that nobody
is going to save us,
for each of us is somebody
and so it falls to us
to save each other.

Please, my friend, do not say “we survived him once we can ...

2025-01-20T18:57:40Z

Please, my friend,
do not say
“we survived him once
we can survive him again,”
for now more than ever
you must remember
all of those
who did not survive him
the first time.

If in these catastrophic times you worry that there is nothing ...

2025-01-14T00:16:55Z

If in these
catastrophic times
you worry that there is
nothing you can do,
remember:
that in these
catastrophic times
refusing to become numb
counts as something.

I am sorry but it is too late to heed the warnings of those who ...

2025-01-13T17:38:18Z

I am sorry
but it is too late
to heed the warnings
of those who decades ago
said we were on track
to wind up
right where we are now,
but if you would honor
Cassandra’s kinfolk
you can start
by heeding the warnings
of those trying to alert you
to where we are heading next.

My friend with a family tells me that they do not make ...

2025-01-11T01:38:03Z

My friend with a family
tells me that they
do not make resolutions
instead they ask each other:
“what can I do, this year,
to love you better?”

So, my human family,
if you are wondering
what we can do this year
to love each other better
we can all try
to take care of each other.

Be proud my friend for you have survived another year. Be careful ...

2025-01-10T22:54:22Z

Be proud
my friend
for you have
survived
another year.

Be careful
my friend
for you have
not yet survived
this pandemic.

*

A compendium of the 251st week of plague poems…

https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/plague-poems-the-two-hundred-and-fifty-first-week/

When you hear them say that the person who died of H5N1 in ...

2025-01-07T22:12:14Z

When you hear them say
that the person who died
of H5N1 in Louisiana
“was older than 65
and had
underlying medical conditions,”
what they are saying
is that we need not care
what happens to those people,
which is what they say
about those people
in the current pandemic as well.